Past projects 24
Craft Materials for Hands-on Learning
Funded Dec 2, 2020I am getting emotional once again writing this message to thank you and to confirm funding for this project. When I felt at loss and did not know where to turn, I decide to come here on DonorsChoose. Once again, you heard me, and you helped me and my students. Thank you so much.
This school year has been the toughest year by far. In addition to what I have to go through as a teacher, it saddens me to see students losing their time to be in school and socializing. So much unfairness is out there during this time as well, and it makes me angry at times. Nonetheless, seeing that actually motivates me to figure out problems and seek solutions for the kids and their families. They are the reason why I still love being a teacher and who I work for. Thanks to people like you, I am able to stay persistent as a teacher despite my exhaustion as a mom to two remote students at home.
Your generosity and kindness helps me keep going for my students. 32 little pre-kindergarteners will have fun with all the common materials as they deserve. This will also help me tremendously as I am a first-time pre-k teacher unexpectedly during this unimaginable school year.
I appreciate all of you from the bottom of my heart. Thank you for helping me make a difference in their lives.”
With gratitude,
Ms. Sable
This classroom project was brought to life by FamilyAlbum and 8 other donors.Fun Off-Screen Activities for Young Remote Learners
Funded Sep 17, 2020Thank you so much for your contributions. Despite all the challenges coming from this most unusual and hectic school year, receiving support from kind people encourages me.
I started meeting my students and their families five days ago, and the official first day of school was today. I already feel more motivated because I can think about their names and faces. With this new role that I never had before, I know researching and finding good resources and materials will be important but will take a lot of time and effort. I also know having the right tools will save me time and effort.
Thanks to you, I will soon receive good materials and ideas from Teachers Pay Teachers and the right tools that boost my engagement with my students. Thank you for your support. I feel and recharged by your kind actions. This means a whole lot to many teachers, especially during these times.”
With gratitude,
Ms. Sable
This classroom project was brought to life by The DonorsChoose 20th Anniversary Fund and 11 other donors.Orff Level One Certification for Music Teacher
Funded Aug 10, 2019I cannot thank you enough for supporting me and my students by contributing to this project "Orff Level One Certification for Music Teacher". Since October 8, 2019, three hours from 6 to 9 PM on most of my Tuesdays plus some mornings and afternoons on a few Saturdays have been dedicated to intensive training to become a better teacher. Now it is almost the end of the certification with only two more Tuesday night classes left. March 24 will be the last session of this certification course.
I have been inspired by many ideas that I learned from the workshops and by interactions that I have had with other music educators. This certification course validated many of my music teacher thoughts and also provided me with many aha moments. One of the ideas that I already strongly believed in and received further support for was the philosophy of making music classes fun! To many children, making lessons a game whenever possible attracts them and engages them. I love conducting lessons where children play games while so much learning is happening at the same time. I started hearing "again!" from my students as soon as activities are done. A few parents personally told me that their children often sing the songs at home that I taught.
This certification course has three supportive instructors. One of them in particular, Katie Traxler, is the teacher whose lesson videos I watched and wanted to meet for a while. This certification course is held in her school. Therefore, seeing her, learning from her, asking questions to her, and even just being in her classroom, they all together make a powerfully inspiring experience. She breaks down steps of conducting lessons, explains her thoughts behind the decisions, always responds to questions, and shares the resources that she worked on without any hesitation. I am blown away by her dedication and support. I am the only music teacher at my school. Being the only music teacher in the building makes me feel isolated at times, and attending this workshop has been giving me very special opportunities.
Thank you again for your generosity. I face many challenges as a music teacher, and support from caring people like you help me get through each of them for my students. Thank you for trusting me and helping me to become a better teacher.”
With gratitude,
Ms. Sable
This classroom project was brought to life by An Anonymous Funder and 51 other donors.A Mobile Stand to Make Our New Promethean Board Accessible!
Funded Jun 9, 2019Once again, thank you so much for taking time to help my classroom with this project. I still clearly remember how emotional I was going through the situation when this project was created. However, now the stand is a wonderful reminder of your kindness and support. Your empathy and generosity truly means a lot to me as I go through many challenges despite loving my students.
This wonderful gift, the stand, arrived at our school before the workers who installed all the boards that the school purchased came to our school. Therefore, I was able to have the workers install this board on this stand without my having to come up with another plan to raise the separate installation fee. I was on top of finding out that installation date by the workers, and I stayed in school with the workers (until I got kicked out by school security) to do my best to ensure that things go smoothly.
The new Promethean board and this wonderful stand together have been saving a lot of time and energy for me. Lesson preparations got easier! I am not forced to write every song lyrics on chart paper any more! I can present various lesson contents visually without being stuck in one spot and without worrying about possible damage to the board due to rain water on the wall coming from the leaky roof. The peace coming from me knowing the board is MUCH safer from potential water damage is priceless. (Since the installation, a couple of leaks already happened in my classroom.)
In addition, using the touchscreen of the interactive board inspires a tremendous amount of engagement. Even the toughest students change their behavior and focus in the hopes of receiving an opportunity to participate in the activity on the board. (Whenever I see that happening, I often have to try not to laugh! This motivation and engagement creates very cute and funny scenes.) Of course, having a subscription of Quaver and Musicplay has become more valuable since a lot of interactive activities became more usable! Particularly, I absolutely appreciate that the stand is height adjustable, moving up and down, enabling even tiny little prekindergarten students to easily access the board! (Please find our happy pre-kindergarten students in the pictures!)
Mom and Dad, my parents-in-law, my husband Carl, Ellie and the Music Makes Our Students Smarter (MMOSS) community, Judith, Sarah and Jack, Melissa, the anonymous donor from New York, Laura, Kristin, Sean, and Reach Out for Schools/Gloria, the DonorsChoose community teacher ambassador team, and Google.org! You helped me and my students more than you know. I share these stories (concise version) with my students. They need to know that there are people who want to listen to each other and help, and you deserve appreciation from not only me but my students as well. My students and I thank you very much. We will learn more with more fun thanks to all of you!”
With gratitude,
Ms. Sable
This classroom project was brought to life by Google.org and 19 other donors.Spice Up Music Class with Hand Drums!
Funded Jan 23, 2020I wish there were better words. I thank you so much for your generous gesture to help my students and me as their teacher. I know that hand drums will bring a lot of fun. They will help me plan and conduct more engaging lessons. I will use my Orff training that I am currently receiving for these drums. Thank you Susan, Melissa, and the anonymous arts supporter. I sincerely appreciate your support. It means a lot to me.”
With gratitude,
Ms. Sable
This classroom project was brought to life by Anonymous Arts Supporter and 3 other donors.One-Year Subscription of Musicplay Online
Funded Nov 5, 2019Every time I type a thank you message to donors on DonorsChoose, I get very emotional. Teaching is such a rewarding but also tough job; however I know I have this career for the right reason. Regardless of the amount, your thoughtfulness, kindness, and support truly means a lot to me and motivates me to keep going for my students.
I am very excited to have this Musicplay subscription and create more fun and meaningful lessons for my students. Thank you so much for taking your time to help me become a better teacher. Thank you very much.”
With gratitude,
Ms. Sable
This classroom project was brought to life by Chan Zuckerberg Initiative and 7 other donors.Back to Basics in Music Classroom
Funded Dec 18, 2018I hope this finds you well. I am sorry about this late update! The promptness of my updates is one area that I can certainly improve in the future. Nonetheless, please know that I never took your generosity for granted.
All of these essential classroom supplies have been used with much appreciation. The items reminded us of your generosity. Many of the students were excited about having colored pencils as their options when we were working on different projects. Students also appreciated having a box of big erasers, not just a tiny cap eraser on their pencil. Laminating pouches help materials be preserved for a long period of time. Lots of leads were a perfect match for many mechanical pencils that I separately bought in the past. Because upper grade students love using mechanical pencils, instead of regular pencils, I used them as a prize during classes. Packs of colored paper have not been used so much yet, but I know they are going to come in handy as I plan to make decorating my classroom one of my top priorities for the upcoming year.
Thank you Alice, Simeon, Someone Who Cares, and Verizon Up for your contribution towards my classroom. It is almost surreal to look around my classroom and be reminded of how much was brought by support through DonorsChoose. That scene often makes me emotional with lots of gratitude. Thank you for the opportunity to experience the effect of caring people. I know that some of my students will remember your kindness and pay it forward. Thank you for making a difference in the lives of my students by supporting public education.”
With gratitude,
Ms. Sable
This classroom project was brought to life by Someone Who Cares and 4 other donors.Three Tech Gadgets for Smooth Learning in Music
Funded Mar 23, 2019First of all, I apologize for this late update! The promptness of the update is one area that I can certainly improve in the future. (I wanted to make sure I actually use all the items to a certain extent so that I can give you all a good update!) Nonetheless, please know that I never took your generosity for granted. All of the three items, the Apple TV, the presentation remote, and the external CD/DVD drive, have boosted the fun factor and the engagement level in my classroom.
As I expected, the wireless projection through AirPlay has been very convenient. Especially, with very young students who often have a hard time manipulating the SMART board, I have used my iPad while the screen is being mirrored on the board. (You can see the actions in a couple of pictures that I have shared here.)
With the presentation remote, I often had a student use it as my helper. That job with the remote has been incredibly popular. When my 5th grade students were practicing their graduation song "A Million Dreams", students took turns to be a remote helper to advance the pages of the slide containing lyrics. It was very cute to see many of the students wanting to sing again and again in the hopes that they would have a turn!
In addition, with the external CD/DVD drive, I was able to play many music CDs that the previous music teacher left in the classroom without having to bring them to my apartment. Also, this drive functioned as a DVD player since my laptop did not come with a built-in CD/DVD drive!
Melissa, Cha Yeup, Monib, Evan, and the Music Makes Our Students Smarter (MMOSS) community, please know that people like you make a huge difference in the learning experience of many students. I teach EVERY student in my school. Therefore, EVERY student gets to take advantage of what you brought to the music room. I am also grateful for the match offer by Verizon and PwC.
When I first started at my school two years ago, I felt as if I was starting in a storage room. So much cleaning and so much organization was required. Then, slowly, I have been figuring out what we need. In that process, DonorsChoose has been without a doubt the most reliable and inspiring place where I turn to seek support. While the reality of the school funding is hugely disappointing, the existence of DonorsChoose makes it possible for schools in underserved communities to bring tools and resources that students deserve regardless of their background. Thank you for being part of that support. Thank you for giving us an opportunity to experience the kindness and generosity. Thank you for making a difference in the lives of many children!”
With gratitude,
Ms. Sable
This classroom project was brought to life by Verizon and 7 other donors.Strike and Scrape: Make Music
Funded May 6, 2019It is hard to think of a better way to teach lessons about bomba and plena music from Puerto Rico other than providing my students with actual instruments that Puerto Rican people play! All thanks to your contributions, that is exactly what happened. My students and I have been having fun with the new percussion instruments, a guiro and a guicharo.
Prior to getting this project fully funded, I played shorts instructional videos with a guiro and a guicharo to some of my students. Therefore, those students who watched the videos were especially excited about holding and trying these instruments. I played the instruments with all of my students, and I was just grateful for your support witnessing the excitement from my students when they play a new kind of musical instrument. I am still collecting buckets for bucket drumming, and we will be using the drumsticks and chopsticks once we are ready for the bucket drumming.
I truly appreciate your generosity. Thank you for bringing this new experience for my students. Thank you for supporting music education.”
With gratitude,
Ms. Sable
This classroom project was brought to life by Google.org and 4 other donors.Getting Organized with a Music Stand Storage Cart
Funded May 16, 2019Howard Feigenbaum, Monib Zirvi, Ellie Henry, Tonya Fletcher, Prout Family, Jodi Austin, WWBW School Team, Google.org, PwC, and Craig Newmark Philanthropies, thank you so much for your contribution. I also appreciate the support from Music Makes Our Students Smarter giving page! I am excited to bring this cart to our classroom. The cart will free up a lot of space and help us stay organized.”
With gratitude,
Ms. Sable
This classroom project was brought to life by Google.org and 10 other donors.